The unveiling of the monument in memory of Alkmaar Jewish victims of the Second World War has been postponed. The plan was to unveil the monument – which will be placed on the station square – this spring. But this will not work because the delivery of important materials is delayed.
For example, the delivery of black granite from India has taken longer than planned and materials with which casting molds are used to make a bronze band around the monument are not available for the time being.
“Due to all kinds of international developments, the supplier cannot insure when that delivery will take place. It has therefore been decided not to plan a date again until all materials have been delivered”, the municipality of Alkmaar responds to NH Nieuws.
The design of the Monument to Names consists of 180 black granite columns. These stand for the Alkmaar Jews who were deported by train on March 5, 1942. Many of them eventually died in an extermination camp. Each column has a different height, which symbolizes the different ages at which the Alkmaar Jews died.
The bronze band around the columns shows the names and ages of the Jewish victims. And that is important, mayor Anja Schouten told earlier NH News. “As an old Jewish saying goes, you’re not dead until your name is no longer mentioned.” The text ‘May their souls be stored in the bundle of eternal life’ will also be placed on the monument. It is customary in Jewish tradition to place this text on a grave.
Designer Niko Hoebe says that he now hopes that the monument can be unveiled in September, but ‘an exact date is not yet available’.